BMW's Electric i3: All Vroom, No Gas

BMW's all-electric i3 is here. And boy is it a sight to behold. It looks nothing like any other BMW we've seen before, but it's real and goes on sale early next year.

Under the "hood" is a 200kg 22 kWh lithium-ion battery with a supposed range of 80 to 100 miles that also puts down 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. And 0 to 60 only takes seven seconds. Unfortunately, the i3 is governed at 93MPH.

By all accounts this sounds like your typical German ultimate driving machine. It's just electric. With a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, the i3 should handle like a BMW should handle. Rather than using steel, BMW opted for a hybrid carbon fibre reinforced plastic that's 50 per cent lighter than steel.

BMW says charging takes roughly three hours using a 220-volt line or 30 minutes with the optional DC Combo Fast Charging setup. The i3 tips the scales at 1,225kg, the lightest on the market.

The i3 starts at £25,680, and there's a £5,000 Government plug-in car grant up for grabs too.